my own worst enemy
by 7th fire
Summary: rated m for good measure. long description inside. please r
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer . I do not own soul eater or the characters there of. Hence dont sue.

This is a bit of a break from all of my general mooshy stuff and a step into some I wouldnt necessarily say darker territory but different. This is gonna be a basic friendship thing. I know all you makaxsoul ect fans will be slightly frazzled if theres no romance so trust me its there. Its just not as prominent as it has been in most of my stuff. This is awkward bc number one... appearently im decent at fluff... though im not entirely sure what that is... if you know please explain. O.o. Number two because im gona try and centralize on maka.. and honestly im a guy and have no idea what Im about to get myself into... tell me if I screw this up. Last but not least there's gona be a few jumps between focus but remember the main focus is still on maka. That being said. This extremely long note is officially over. Ciao.

Im my own worst enemy!

Ch1 I dont understand.

He did all he could but she still felt so useless. He hadnt failed as a weapon a person or a friend.

He just couldnt do anything for her. It wasnt his fault and she never blamed him. Though she felt he would believe the vindictive voices plauging her lately.

phantoms of the past wouldnt die so easily and the thoughts lately that haunted her would not just simply let her be.

"maka... Im trying really hard to get a handle on this but youre putting up a damn brick wall..." she didnt feel like talking but gave soul credit for trying. He did after all do his best to ease her current discomfort though she imagined him growing weary of her. "how am I suppose to help if you wont even talk to me... im a weapon... a scythe not a damn psychic."

"then stop trying to be a shrink! im fine." the tears were rolling telling soul that things were not okay or fine to any extent. "i dont know why youre so damned worried anyway..."

"youve been missing meals, late for class, not reading sure as hell because Im going to be honest your books arent accustomed to collecting dust, which right now makes about six months of their time spent. Youve also been avoiding everyone including me, you havent talked to your dad in almost as long as you havent read, not as surprizing but not a good thing either, and youve barely held up on your own in training" he took a deep breath "AND YOUVE BEEN TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP YOU DOLT!"

She broke down. It wasnt something she normaly did. Cry maybe but to soul this was beyond a crying tantrum and straight into a stress induced mental breakdown. She was at this moment an emotional basket case and both soul and her herself knew that very well. She was so much so into her crying that soul was with a lack of words and simply sat down next to her in a vain attempt to break through the 'brick wall' she had errected around herself.

"maka... im... I didnt mean that... I didnt mean to yell at you... its okay bookworm... come on... you know I suck at this motivational speech thing..." it took him a few seconds to register that maka was now lying down weeping in a pitiful ball like some drug crazed lunatic. "ah geeze..."

"just leave me alone!" her words more sharp than she meant them made a small impact on souls demenor and without hesitation he stood and patted her shoulder before walking off. Maka hadnt noticed his departure after several minutes of crying with her hands over her ears. "im sorry soul... I just..." his absence caught her attention when she finaly turned around. "oh..."

she was left to herself. The worthless runt. The bookworm. The failed meister and a terrible friend. She felt the nauseating heat coming from her face as the tears made a pass for round two.

"why cant I just be... something better..." the phrase sounded as if someone else had said it. Imagine her. 'the great kishin slayer' a hero now wishing that she were better. It from an outside point seemed like a stupid and sarcastic request. But maka felt it verily that she was not what her reputation had made her.

In her mind she knew her genetics played a roll in destroying the kishin. And if blackstar and kidd hadnt weakened him he might have killed them all. She managed out with no major damage but still felt as though the victory could have happened even if she werent there.

After what happened with all of the events leading up to asura's defeat she had lost interest in things such as school and books. They held falsely to what they preached and her eyes had been glued to them for years to make sure that all she knew was someone elses lies. Food held no nourishment for her as it all seemed bland and tasteless to the truth of her own thoughts so she hadnt been eating. And people were even worse than those. The faces that once saw her as a friend or a potential interest even now looked at her like some sort of alien for her heroism. The worst however was what she thought was her conscience. It was like an antagonizing bully. Constantly mocking her. She refused to put it up as a halucination because the voice was more of a thought given speech. It simply said directly what she knew deep down to be her own truth.

'you know crying on the floor suits you... I mean at least soul's grown a brain and quit bothering... he would have missed dinner if youre tantrum had kept him ten more minutes. Ya know you really screw up peoples lives... why are you even still alive? I think they'd all be better off if asura had eaten you then at least soul could find a partner worth a damn. Face it you suck. Not your fault no. its just destiny. Youre nothing but a worthless little girl. Thats just the way it is.' the words taunted her as though she were a rat who had been caged only to be placed mere inches from freedom.

"no... noooo! Im... I killed the kishin... ive been a straight A student since I started the academy and at least a half decent meister... this is just stupid!" she cried herself to sleep after that lulling herself into slumber with every soft sob she let pass her guard.

"oh maka...i dont understand..." soul had left the room but stayed next to the door. When he looked in he saw her. She was broken. Her frail body making small shaky motions as she took ragged breaths. She was a mess. What was worse was he had no idea why.


	2. Chapter 2

Dislclaimer. I dont own. I would like to.. but I dont.

Synopsis. Maka and soul have had a bit of a worded quarel revealing to soul maka's long pent up depression and driving maka to break down for all intents and purposes. Maka now awakens from the tear induced sleep and our story continues.

A vacation. "like a slut" anything worth your time?

She awoke. A ravenous growl coming from her stomache only momentarily before an intense glare shut it down. She may have been physically hungry but her mind wanted no nourishment.

her head throbbed with disdain for movement but she disobeyed as she rolled over to find that the air on the other side of her face was cold. More strangely was that she now had a blanket wrapped around her and a pillow under her head where she assumed tile should have been.

'oh great. Now he's pittying you. Why dont you just quit making problems?' her little 'conscience' now prodded her again.

"soul..." she wandered why he had done it, knowing full well that blair would not have, and no one else wouldve known. The thought baffled her.

"morning snorlax..." soul entered the room yawning and picking on her in jest that she took offensively even though she faked a laugh to save face.

"sorry..." she shrugged her shoulders as she looked down.

"hey its saturday. So no need to worry about class. However... professor stein said him and lord death both want to talk to you later."

"if its about my training im not even about to explain things to my dad..." she became hostile.

"no... something else is up. Not sure what though. Only got word a few hours ago."

"wait... you look like you just got up..."

"ive been up." the fatigue in his voice was clear. "yknow playin video games... watchin the tube... cool stuff... heheh" he was lying. But she knew there was no way to pry his actions out of him until he wanted her to.

"so how long were you up?"

"since four..."

"youre an early bird."

"yesterday morning..."

"oh..." she was shocked that he hadnt slept. It was easily his general favorite hobby. But he hadnt slept at all.

"you should try to rest."

"and you need to eat something. I can hear your stomache from the other room"

"im not hungry." her stomache growled in defiance like a little kid correcting their older sibling.

"your mouth sais no but your body speaks otherwise" he cracked his knuckles as he watched her with a sense of proven fact.

"that just sounded wrong."

"then laugh numbskull. You need a sense of humor."

there was a tense moment like a dire question loomed in the air. Then there was tears again in her eyes.

"maka? Whats wrong?" soul now seemed concerned beyond what she had previously seen. "did I say something."

she simply sat down and began to cry quietly again. "i dont know..." she sobbed softly repeating the phrase like it were the only one she knew to speak.

"man oh man... maka... look... you need to get out today. Go do something... come on... we gota go talk to the professor anyway... ill go with you..."

she at first wanted to tell him to go away, but something else took over and she could not resist. She lifted her head against her better judgement in an agreeing manner to allow soul to see the submission.

"alright..." it was all she could say.

"good... come on. Get dressed and ill wait here."

it was longer than usual. The time she took to change didnt generaly seem short by any means but today was different. She felt slow. Ragged and out of energy. Disenchanted if one would call it that. She felt beaten down and tired. Like she had lived twenty years in the last week.

"whats wrong with me..." she mumbled to herself looking into the mirror at her naked form.

She looked paler than usual. Like someone had drained her blood. Her ribs were now prominent and her hips followed suit. She looked at her legs noticing theyre miniature size in comparison to the average girl her age. She looked sickly.

Her eyes once a beautiful emerald now faded to a dull fern. Her hair at one point an intruiguing blond now seemed lifeless and dilluded. Her skin was at one point in time a very pretty alabaster now turned to a petrified proceline with everything that had gone on.

"maka are you... ohmagawd!" soul covered his eyes as he walked in on her.

Normaly she would have slapped him for being a pervert but for some reason she couldnt bring herself to do it. And for some other reason soul stood with his back to her as if talking to her rather than running for cover like instinct normaly would tell him to do.

"i just wanted to check on you... I... ive been worried..." he spoke carefully.

"really..." she allowed a faint curiosity to envelope her.

"well yeah... I mean... youre my partner... I have to be concerned..."

"soul I..." she spun quickly more screaming the phrase than speaking out of despiration. Not realizing he would turn around.

There was a long pause. As soul blinked in both shock and confusion. Afterwords maka instead of pummeling him like he thought she would simply covered her more 'private' areas and looked at the floor.

"see anything worth your time" she spoke sarcasticly but lacked the acidic poision that she intended and soul expected.

"wait... what? No maka chop?... no tirade?... not even going to kick me out the window."

"it wouldnt mean anything..." she had spoken the words callusly but something stirred in souls eyes at the phrase.

"whadaya mean by that? Do I need to pry...?" it was rare that his more manly facade dispelled and his tongue coated itself in silver. Maka had never experienced his more diplomatic side first hand but she knew something was brewing in his mind.

"nothing... now please... let me get dressed in peace..." she was far more timid than she meant to be.

'there you go making a fool of yourself again. You know you could probably just strut around here naked and he'd never notice. I mean look at you. Youre more of boy than a girl to begin with. And here you are being a little slut. You know he really needs to grow a brain and stop worrying about you. You'll just cause him trouble' in the time it took her to silence her thoughts soul had left a look of confusion still lingering on him.

"but... I... I want..." she pushed her thoughts aside and threw her clothes on irritated with her subconscious effort to undermine herself.

It was a silent three hour walk to steins lab and in that time both of them thought deeply. Soul on ways to break down maka's almost inpenetrable barrier and maka more on worry of wether or not stein had at one point done experiments on her while she slept. A few times she would fall behind intentionally just to check for scars only to find none before soul caught her peeking at herself.

"well... here we are... you want me to go in and get him or do you wana do it?" he sounded creeped out at first.

"kina like not getting zigzag stitches..." she joked with dry humor.

"well at least your enthusiasms getting better. We'll work on the puns later though." with that he walked through the large doors and into the lab.

A few paces was all it took for the mad miester to notice them.

"youre late." it was more creepy for soul than maka to have stein litterally right behind them as the doors closed, his trademark coffin nail hanging limply between his lips.

"geez professor. Do you have to do that so... weirdly?" soul shivered as he turned to face the teacher.

"ah soul... I dont think we'll be needing your audience. If you would please wait outside. This wont take long."

"with all due respect ill stick around."

"this isnt up for debate. This is a matter which you do not need to intertwine yourself with. Now please wait outside. Maka will be with you again in a few moments."

normaly wether a situation was up for debate or not soul would not abandon his meister. However steins glare was enough to send even battle hardened veterans screaming in fear. This noted he took an awkward glance at a confused maka before retreating.

Once soul was gone maka got the feeling of being a little kid in some form of horrendous trouble. It wasnt till stein put a reassuring hand on her shoulder that she understood that trouble wasnt going to follow.

"sit. Id like to discuss somethig." the elder meister pointed to a chair near what appeared to be a makeshift livingroom table. Covered in beakers or not the table gave off more of a pleasant vibe than the rest of steins zigzag stitch décor.

"what is it?" she was again more timid that she intended.

"its about your studies... youve been falling behind."

"im sorry..."

"im more concerned about you than your grade point average. Youve been through some trying ordeals lately."

"and the point is" she attempted to regain her hostile posture.

"brave faces dont hide the truth miss albarn... youre not slacking because its too hard... your not slacking because of missions either."

"im sorry"

"im not worried about your grades at this point. However lord death your father and I believe that perhaps you may need some time off. I believe after what youve been through you deserve a moment of rest. You and your friends as well. Youve all been through a lot as of late. However unlike your classmates youre showing some slightly less than good signs."

"such as..."

"well... for one youve missed out on three of my lectures" he sounded almost hurt. "another is your training scores lessening. And adding to this is also your refusal of several easy missions."

"i..." she was cut short.

"thats just the tip of the iceburge." he was patient but commanding "youve been seen coming into classes twenty minutes or more late. And even more so not coming in at all. Its also been brought to our knowledge that you havent spoken to anyone but soul in over three months more than simply a minor greeting or farewell. None of this fits you."

"im..."

"and to top off the cake..." he released a small puff of smoke in the shape of a skull as he's continued "you look like you havent eaten, slept, or for that matter moved out of your bed in three days. According to soul you have repetitive bouts of night terrors and even talk to yourself."

"im sorry."

"its not a fault I stress maka. Nor a weakness. Its not just something you can overcome with enthusiastic labor. Its a wound that if treated unproperly can worsen."

"how did you know..."

"if you need to ask it was soul. He's not one to ask anything from the teachers and faculty but I feel like he believes he's at the end of his rope. He's worried for his partner."

"that little..." she began to sob.

"be greatful. If he hadnt spoke up we may have assumed you becoming lazy and expelled you or worse. His worry brought a more severe notion to the faculty... im suggesting that you take a few weeks off. You and soul both deserve a break from all of this."

"im fine."

"your demenor states otherwise. Trust me when I say that this job goes to your head." he laughed as he took another drag. "but seriously. Youre young. If you continue at the rate youre going... well youll burn out."

"or ill become a deranged teacher obsessed with disection."

a serious face crossed stein before he put on a thoughtful face. "perhaps... I never thought of having an identical teachers assistant." the look maka bore at this was both horror and disgust. "ah but no. you need a vacation. Nurse naigus would like to see you first but this isnt a request. If you show up for class or take missions from the bord youll be suspended with a possible indefinence."

"what!"

"in other words. Take a break or be expelled."

"but... but..."

"but what"

"what about my grades... ill get so far behind..."

"i will personally see that any assignments are not held against you and youre plenty smart enough to retain the knowledge you already know. So this is your notice. Your new assignment is to recover from your disfunctions. When you return you will resume classes as usual until confirmed otherwise. Understood?"

"yes professor..."

"now go chat with the nurse. Im sure she wants to record your status before you break."

"how long do I have..."

"it is determinable by your partner... he will be sending us a report when he thinks youve recuperated."

"wait... soul's my watcher now?"

"no... he is merely giving us the all clear when youve decided youre ready. However long you need is entirely up to you."

"and im not gona be expelled?"

"unless you break code and try to return for classes or missions... no."

"okay..." her mood was pensive as she took in the information.

"now I have things to prepare for if you would kindly see yourself to naigus we're done here."

the next stop was the nurses office. Something told maka this wasnt what she wanted.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer. I hereby disclaimeth.

Synopsis. A trip to professor steins laboratory was not as much wanted as maka had expected. Now forced to take a vacation she never asked for she has been ordered to report to the nurses office before taking her forceful reprieve. What will happen. Read and rev.

ill rest when im dead. "why does my heart feel so broken?" maka's big revelation.

A vacation? The thought appalled her. It was like being told to go on standby because she wasnt worth the time to give the missions to. She hated her luck.

"oh come on maka. You need to take a break you know. Youre gonna burn out if you dont." soul prodded her.

"this coming from he who no longer sleeps" her words were harsh.

"id sleep a lot better if someone wasnt always two sheets in the wind and crying all the time." for all the harshness of maka's words soul's had twice the bite.

"ouch..." it was all she could muster.

"you asked for that... regardless. I didnt rat you out so stop holding it against me."

"if I have to take a break youre resting too."

"thats not how this works. Im your watcher remember. Meaning ill rest when im dead."

"and if you ever say that again itll be sooner than you think." she mumbled inaudibly.

"what was that?" a glare was her only response to this. "thought so. Now lets get this over with. Naigus likes needles and I dont. The sooner were outa here the better."

they both swallowed before entering the room. It wasnt often that nurse naigus made request for students who werent either badly injured or in serious trouble.

"miss naigus?" maka knocked timidly and stuck her head through the door.

"come in." she was soft spoken which seemed more or less dismissive. "soul you can wait outside."

"again. Nuuh. Not happinin. Im sticking around."

"if you insist I think your due for a physical anyway itll only take a moment." there was a snide glare from the bandaged woman before she dawned a single rubber glove.

"on second thought I think blackstar's about to break something. Better go stop him." he laughed sheepishly before bolting from the room.

"well now that thats over." she swiftly removed the glove chuckling to herself in bemusement. "ah boys will be boys though."

"you wanted to see me nurse?" maka was timid but blunt.

"oh yes. I assume you spoke with stein?"

"yeah I already heard his story."

"then you should already know why youre here."

"not really. Im fine. They said I needed a vacation. But I feel fine."

"well not to be judgemental but youve seen better days. As a matter of fact it kind of looks as if you havent seen day'light' in a few of the more recent ones."

"im okay"

"are you... well then... why havent you been coming to class then? Ive not gotten a note from either you or your father."

"i... I..."

"its okay maka. Anyone put through your trauma cannot expect to be unphased... im not going to threaten you with expulsion. I only want to know whats going on so I can help."

"i dunno" she dodged the questions only to have more thrown in her face.

"really. Well then tell me why it is we've received reports of you refusing to eat and fighting sleep? This is an unhealthy habbit maka. One that cannot be put in hindsight."

"i dont know..." her voice began to crack.

"we're worried. All of us. Youre a good kid and an excelent meister. Even lord death is varily concerned with your condition and well being. But perhaps the method to finding out why doesnt lie in punishment which im sure youre expecting." the look of guilt that crossed the young meisters face was proof of such. "theres no need to worry... I just want your side of the story."

"i dont wana talk about it..." the girls response was rough.

"verry well. Its still required for you to obey steins little request. So if you feel like you wish to talk later ill be here. By the way you requested a few weeks ago that someone tell you about crona's status as a meister?"

"yeah... how's he doing?"

"he's adapting to the missions if albeit a tad bit slow... reclusive is as best I can make out but he's oppening up. He said he'd verry much like to speak with you when he returns from his assignment."

"okay... when will he be back?"

"roughly three days. So theres time to rest. Either way, you said you didnt feel like discussing your situation so ill just mark this for today and youre free to go..."

"am I going to be expelled if I stick around?"

"no at all. Just no missions or classes. However the academy is your home. Come and go as you please."

"okay... I should..uh... find soul"

"yes I think it would probably help his feelings to know I didnt experiment on you."

as she left she suddenly felt the tears coming back to her eyes. 'whats wrong with me?' the exact reason for why she was crying eluded her but she knew it was brought on by soul worrying over her in some form. 'why does my heart feel so broken now? Its like being told youre alone. But... im not... I know that... still though' she paced her steps down the hall not really attempting to but finding soul leaned against one of the hand rails to the stairs. Then it hit her, The realization that the problem was very real and soul may or may not have taken it upon himself to become the solution. The thought both brought tears and comfort. But for however much comfort it brought she still felt like her best friend had died. Like her heart had been ripped out and shattered, a pale ruby upon a canvas of sorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer. It shall be known that I disclaim anything not mine and there will be stuff other than soul eater that will make easter eggs in a twisted way. Keep your eyes open and throughout the story you will catch my easter eggs. It could be anything. A few obvious a few not so much.

synopsis. Maka has been cleared by stein and naigus and is now on her reluctant reprieve. What will happen. What will they do. What chance sequences will happen. Hell if I know im just a synopsis not a foreshadowing.

ch4. Where did you go "you clench those words like fists just waiting to hit something." soul's plea.

There was a long moment of regression for the miester as she tossed the pen across the room. "i cant focus. Maybe im just tired..." she thought outloud as the pen clicked to the floor. 'I wonder if soul has slept.'

the sound of something tapping caught her attention as she zoned out momentarily from the lack of enthusiasm. It was like someone repetitively clicking the keys on a computer but loud. Obnoxiously loud and beffudling. She knew she had heard it in the past but just couldnt place a finger on it. Suddenly as if he had been greatly insulted she heard soul shouting from the other room and what sounded like him slamming his hands on the tabel.

"damnit!" it was the first time she had actualy noticed his stress. "why does it have to be like this... why cant you just pull it together and put it on the damn sheet!"

she listened silently. She for some reason felt not afraid but ashamed that she had allowed him to become so vexed though she couldnt imagine what at. She waited listening to him rambling on and on about what she precieved to be a form of wrighters block. But to her knowledge soul didnt wright. For that matter she was pretty sure he bordered illiteracy.

"she needs this... why is it so hard for me to throw it out there... its not like its some form of death certificate. Why in the hell wont you just work!?" he still hadnt calmed down.

It was a few more minutes of his fuming before she mustered the courage to oppen the door and peer into the room only to see soul pacing like a mad man in front of a type wrighter which she had never noticed. However odd the mechanism was for soul the fact that he paced the way an estranged concept of a horror novolist would made him seem so mysterious and for some reason very interesting. She watched as he picked a stack of pappers from the desk like she had observed professor stein do on multiple occasions. She patiently observed his fascination for them as he read them like some sort of biblical scripture. It was like watching him play the piano. The way he acted was different. His behaviour was erattic and down right terrifying, like seeing a serial killer plot his next victim's demise. But for some reason unknown to her he was beautiful in this state. Seeing him open and devoid of his cool facade made her almost magnetic to him. Drawing her in like a moth to an open flame. The fear of the burn was simply outweighed by affinity for that which seemed so inticing.

She heard him speak it wasnt what she had expected. It sounded like he was reading from another persons works.

"If I knew the answer I wouldnt be here." he paused as if switching through something "then why not find the answer for yourself. You ask questions that make no relevance to the answer you need. Are you not interested in the vindication of that which has wronged you?" again another pause "i dont know what im searching for." he pinched the bridge of his nose. "damnit! Thats wrong... what is the reason... whats the motive... why even... damn..." he placed the papers on the desk and began to pace again not noticeing the spying miester outside his door. "wait a minute... that might work." he stopped as if taking his character. "i know why im here. I just havent found the answer as to why I want it." the pause "there in lies more of the question. To you I ask what is it you seek? Could it be 'a reason to live'"

the phrase of the end sentence caught her attention and sent her into a state of almost psychosomatic repression, forcing her body to catch up with her mind by pausing unwittingly. She didnt even notice an exasperated soul open the door until a surprised gasp caught her attention.

"gha... maka you scared the crap outa me... is everything alright... you look a little shaken" from close proximity she could see his fatigue. She could make out the dark circles under his eyes and hear the exhaustion in his voice. It seemed he hadnt slept in weeks.

"soul... why are you up so late?" she was questioning but gentle this time.

"ah you know just doing guy stuff..." he seemed embarassed.

"about earlier soul..."

"im sorry I walked in on you. I swear I didnt see anything and I promise not to tell anyone." he held up his right hand in testament to his oath.

"its not that..."

"then what is it."

"i..." she zoned out.

"maka?..." he noticed the spaced moment almost immediately "hello... earth to bookworm... maka snap out of it."

"stop worrying about me..." she sounded coarse as she spoke.

"what?"

"get some rest and quit worrying about me... im fine." she started to cry again.

"i worry about you because I care." a look of astute insult plastered itself to his face.

"why do you care so much... you know I wont put out so why not find somone else to grovle over!" another two seconds and she was in an all out panic once again.

"why are you being like this!" now was the first moment in history that she felt his burning desire for retribution. For the first time ever he truly bit back at her. "youve been a basket case lately... acting like I should leave you to die... and no matter what I do its never enough to snap you out of it. Im always supportive and you snap at me like im the local playground bully. You clench those words like a fist always waiting to hit something. And I for one dont understand why. If youre so worthless why do I feel like I need to be with you." the last sentence came out with a different tone than he ment and the blush on his face told her that. "and another thing. I dont grovle. Im cooler than that. Now if you want me to back up all you have to do is ask. But the way I see it you dont tell me to because you want the help. You want the attention and someone to baby you. MAKA!" he was now appearently very upset and the next words out of his mouth were no where near what she expected "I LOVE YOU..." the blush was deep and his eyes hollowed out as if to tell her he was repremanding himself enternaly for his discision to confront her. "if you dont like it too bad. But I legitiately care..."

"soul..."

"shut up... im not done. Further I would like to tell you that I dont stay up every night because Im over worried. I do that because I find myself too distracted to sleep. So stop telling me to rest. I have work to do. Now is there anything else youd like to take a jab at me with..." the fire in his eyes warned her he was not backing down even to her.

"soul... I didnt mean to snap at you... im sorry..." she made a judgement call and threw her arms around him lovingly "im sorry for all ive put you through... I know its hard on you too" she cried into his chest in the most 'unmaka' fashion leaving the poor boy speachless and baffled. "soul?..."

he wrapped his arms around her comfortingly allowing the fire to die down with his temper. "what is it maka?"

"do you really love me?" she sobbed the question as if it hurt her to guess an answer.

"well... youre my best friend... of course I love you..." a quick hug told her there was deeper meaning but prying wouldnt draw it out of him. At least not at the moment.

"soul?" she zoned out again as she looked into his eyes 'this is dangerous for him. Dont you dare drag him into this you trollop.' her conscience guilted her once again 'dont you pull his strings like this. You know you'll cause him trouble.'

"maka... maka wake up" soul lightly shook her snapping her back to reality.

"im sorry." she tried to look down only to find a gentle hand pulling her face back to meet his.

"where did you go just now?" he was honestly calm knowing full well she would undermine herself if given half the chance.

"i was... im just tired..." she lied as the blush invaded her cheeks.

"please let me help you... im begging... I cant stand seeing you like this..." he gave her another tight hug as he sighed deeply "please maka..."

"soul?" she buried her face in his neck.

"yeah" he was much calmer now as he nuzzled her hair.

"can I sleep with you tonight?..." it was an odd and unexpected request but she felt an inate fear of letting him too far out of sight.

"woah there cowgirl..." he laughed sheepishly "arent we a tad bit away from that kina action"

"i didnt mean screw me you pervert" there was a glare from the miester that told soul she was in serious need of basic affection. "i just dont wana be alone tonight."

"alright... I guess if youre not gonna pummel me in the morning Im down with it." he petted her hair as he pulled her back in.

it was a few more minutes of the tender embrace before soul decided to lead her to her room where they both curled up in the almost too small bed. The comforter that was placed on it however was by all means large enough so soul pulled the covers over them and pressed his chest to the young miesters back in a manner that made her blush as the fabric enveloped them.

"soul Im really sorry..." she whimpered as his hand wiped the tears away.

"its fine maka. Im always here for you. You know that." he kissed the back of her head while trying to raise her spirits.

"i just dont know whats wrong with me..." she curled up subconciously into his arms.

"well... like I said... you want someone to baby you"

"thats not funny..."

"i was actually making an offer dummy."

"what?" she was shocked at his seriousness.

"forget it. Try to get some rest. Itll be better in the morning."

she let the hypnotic metrinome of his breathing quiet all of the thoughts in her head. The thrumming of their hearts in unison made an intricate silence that brought the peace of slumber to her mind and in a matter of moments her world was dark. Only the feeling of her beloved companion behind her surviving the numbing stillness.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: There are the things of this the tale that I doth disclaim.

Synopsis: A night of strange behavior from her partner beckoned Maka from her depressive zone momentarily, to allow for the slightest knowledge of his affection to be recognized. In a desperate act of desire for affection she asked for Soul to sleep with her. The last chapter brought us an insight into Soul's still somewhat hidden demons. This chapter will dig deeper into the dark plane of both characters psyche and even deeper into their hearts. What will occur... well, read and you'll know!

Chapter 5: Untouchable. "Look at me... like that" - Maka's shame.

The air felt as cold as ice upon her tender skin. She felt the brisk chill of morning touching her nose and combing through her hair. It was not per se uncomfortable, rather refreshing. It was nice to wake up for once not beaded in sweat, heart pounding, lungs burning, and mind racked with pain. Her passions sated, she now noticed familiar warmth pressed against her back and enveloping her side; the sounds of snoring relieving her worries.

"Finally he got some sleep..." she reveled in his warmth and for what seemed like an eternity, actually a good fifteen minutes, she refused to even breathe deeply for fear of waking the boy_. 'You're a dirty slut. You know that. Tricking him into that. You know he's a sucker with a heart of gold! Why don't you just leave him alone.'_ "I feel a little jealous of myself..." she paused as she noticed him move. He had rolled over muttering her name like a prayer. "Oh soul... you really are a sweet guy..."

She rose slowly so as not to wake her sleeping scythe. He seemed deep in his dreams and she felt it cruel to wake him from his much needed rest. He had needed a vacation as bad as, if not more so than, herself. She knew that but she also knew Soul was a creature of pride and would never allow himself to be told such things without first requesting it. As much as he hated classes she knew it bothered him to be told no even more than being told to show up. He was always like that. His pride only outweighed by his cool persona. The face he let everyone believe was his own that only she could plainly see was a mask to hide the pride and sometimes slight insanity.

When she thought back on it he never did let even the slightest hint of worry or fear get to him even in the heat of battle. That was one reason she found him so intriguing - his ability to hide everything while still being something reminiscent of his true self. He did take the cool persona more seriously than she had first previously thought but it was only to her knowledge, for it was the largest part of his personality. He had two faces, each twisted to the extent that the other would be invisible to its twin. His darker more manic side, which only she had seen and even then only a handful of times to speak of, and the other side; the classic soul - the beloved cool guy -it was what made him a person of interest, a pure vision of mystery. And her biggest intrigue.

The reminiscing soon stopped and she noticed the droll expression on his sleeping form. The look of a near-dead person who's only existence was held up by the advent of vital signs. It was the look of a comatose person who didn't dream thanks to exhaustion. He had pushed himself too hard. The reason was completely beyond her understanding but, nonetheless it was obvious he had. It was not the first time he had done so either. She remembered the fight with the Kishin where he'd pushed himself to the threshold of madness while battling the black blood.

He seemed so peaceful that to look at him made her feel as though she needed to leave for fear of disturbing him. She felt somewhat guilty for having coaxed him to pay her attention the night previous and now felt it only right to leave him to rest.

The general folderol behind her; she set out to repay his obvious act of kindness and thus her debt in a somewhat more subtle way. Breakfast seemed like it would be a good start yet for some reason she still couldn't grasp why the thought of food made her nauseous. A funny thing in some estranged sense but the feeling was palpable. The aroma of even the most subtle nutrition made her stomach churn and her head throb as if to say it would kill her to ingest the slightest portion of it. But she would endure.

"I hope Soul's hungry at least... I am not doing this again anytime soon" she spoke vaguely to herself as she threw the random assortment of what she considered breakfast food into the works of a flaming stove and a few pans. _'Oh what's this?'_ the guilt trip started _'Trying to entice him... you know he'll never go for such a flat chested slut. You're just not his type. Why do you even bother?'_

"SHUT UP!"

One of the pans fell from her grasp at her outburst and hit the floor with a loud clanging sound that seemed to echo endlessly in her mind. _'That's right, throw your tantrum. Let him see that you're just a little sniveling bitch.'_

"I SAID SHUTUP!"

She began to cry, covering her ears and screaming as if it were the only thing she could muster. Anything to stop the barrage of defamation that was sure to drive her to an early grave.

She balled up into a foetal position, weeping like a child who'd lost their mother. Crying both from the intense nausea and the disdain she unwillingly had for herself. Her subconscious, it seemed, had become more of a problem than just an inner thought. She dreaded thinking that she had crossed the doorway of mental stability but the presence of such a hostile existence was prominent, and she could feel herself being torn apart by every ill-placed word or gesture.

"Maka?!" Soul had apparently woken up and was now rushing to her aid. "Maka? What happened? Are you hurt?" he took two quick sniffs before he noticed the stove now pouring black smoke from its bowls. "Damn!" he quickly grabbed a nearby towel and opened the smoking appliance to realize its smoldering contents were now ablaze and threatening to consume him for an early morning snack rather than the reverse. "Oh crap..." he fumbled with the towel for a moment before retrieving the flaming pan of now charcoal that once sat in the oven. A few quick movements, a flick of the tap, and a loud bang or two was all it took and the near life-threatening crisis was averted. "Maka... Maka! MAKA! SNAP OUT OF IT!" he shook the girl rigorously before he noticed her glistening emeralds pleading to him for help. "Oh Maka... What's wrong..."

"I'm..." she couldn't speak through the tears. "I'm not a sniveling bitch..." she sobbed almost corrective as if she suspected Soul had heard her thoughts.

"I never said you were!" now he felt offended. The sheer audacity to accuse him of such a thing as calling her foul names was in itself painful. "Who told you that...?"

"I... I did... I think... I don't know... It's... not true... I hope." she curled into him and let the tears flow as Soul did his best to comfort her.

"What do you mean? Maka... are you okay... Maka... answer me..." he was firm but not aggressive. It was almost like he knew what was going on but couldn't make a call on whether or not to press the matter further.

"I feel awful Soul..." she cried. "I feel ugly, untouchable." the tears only grew in strength until she simply died down into a whimper. "All the other girls... Tsubaki... Blair... Liz and Patty... all of them... They're so much prettier..." at this point Soul noticed the walls come down. The bookworm with iron skin of which he had become accustomed to was no longer present 'up stairs'. This person in front of him was an entirely different human being. Someone self-conscious and needy. Someone broken. And Soul felt himself pushed almost to tears to see the fall of said bookworm. "Why am I so ugly..."

"You're not ugly Maka" he pulled her head tightly to his chest trying to express both his concern and disdain for the comment. "Why would you even think that?"

"You look at them differently... I see the way you eye Tsubaki... the way you ogle the twins... you make no point to even conceal it around Blair... They're all so attractive... and they're perfect... submissive, beautiful, friendly... I'm not like that... I'm just an ugly little girl..." the tears were unabashed and held no remorse, more for Soul than his partner.

"Oh please." Soul saw an opportunity to turn the tides. "Blair's mentally retarded, so is Patty. Liz is a snob and Tsubaki's one I worry about looking for a place to stick a knife."

"But you still look..." it apparently had no effect on her dour mood.

"Well... don't you?" he tried to crack the trademark smirk only to notice her stop and look at him with longing.

"I..." she paused.

"What?" though the response was less than what he had wanted to use, it was all he could muster.

"Look at me..." she cupped his cheek. Through her eyes he could see the hurt, the pain, and all of the feelings that she had bottled since before he even met her. "Look at me... like that..."

The thought didn't register with him for a moment that Maka had been exposed to perhaps a bit too much stress and more than too many snide comments about her bust size, most of them from himself. This made him mentally kick himself for all the times he had picked on her even in jest for her lack of maturity in the physical form, however, regardless the jokes, he knew a dangerous situation when he saw one and holding true to his cool façade, decided to turn her mind from the thought.

"Hey... let's just calm down... why don't you go back to bed and I'll clean up... come on... I'm worried about you and I promise I'll talk once I know the house isn't going to go up like a Christmas tree..." he knew things weren't going to be easy in the least.

"Please..." she begged as the tears again welled up and threatened to give him a guilt beating.

"I'll try Maka... I promise." at this she buried her face in his chest and began to weep uncontrollably until he felt her almost immediately calm down. "Maka" he at this point was almost questioning whether or not she had dehydrated and died. "Maka are you" he almost felt it as he noticed her eyes were closed. She had cried herself back to sleep again and it appeared there was nothing he could do to prevent this from happening again.

Another mental kick in the teeth told him he was in some fashion to blame for this but the questions would have to wait.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer. Well... there it is... I disclaimed... o.O any questions?

Synopsis: Maka has officially gone off the deep end. Soul is at his wit's end and the pair only seems to struggle at this continuing game of mental and emotional tug-of-war.

What will happen to our heroes? Well, this'll put you on the right track.

Chapter 6: The town that hell calls home. "A reason to live"- Writers quandary

There was a catch in his throat as he sifted through the papers. It didn't seem right. He knew she wasn't normally like this and he wanted to help her. However, with her current state of unconsciousness he could only wait until she woke up. That said he cleaned the kitchen from the near disaster prior and continued his writing. Not quite his favourite past time but definitely a way to keep the demons at bay.

"I just have to let it ride..." he glanced at the words written on the simple paper. They weren't hollow but at the moment he found them without substance and empty. The worry for his partner simply couldn't be ignored - at least, not easily.

He sat at the typewriter and stared at it, as if waiting for the keys to spring to life by themselves. It seemed like forever that he simply watched the machine without so much as even a twitch of movement. Suddenly, he pulled the chair forward and took his position at the keyboard with trepidation. It took one smooth stroke of the first key and the blaze of ink and stress-driven inspiration consumed him.

The tapping in itself became a metronome for the twisted melody in his mind and suddenly he felt himself immersed in his work, feverishly tapping the keys like a lunatic high on acid. His sanity itself seemed to go out the window as the story took over and his hands developed a mind of their own.

So intertwined was he that he didn't notice the young meister enter his room. Nor did he notice her lay down on the bed. He didn't even notice the prying eye over his shoulders as she watched him. He simply wrote. The story in his head became a reality upon the paper within the typewriter. Heavily he tapped the keys. Pressing so hard sometimes that it seemed the mechanism would shatter. Continuing his almost manic rampage until the machine simply chimed as it ran out of paper.

"Soul..." she spoke now as though worried. "Soul... Are you busy?"

He breathed heavily as if the actions prior had left him winded. "Huh?" he turned around sheepishly to see the meister watching him. "Oh... umm... Nah I was just... Uh… Writing a report. What d'you need bookworm?" He threw on the cool face.

"There was some stuff I needed to get but I wanted to ask if you'd get them for me... I uh... don't really wanna go back to the school..." she faked a laugh dryly.

"What'd you forget?" he pinched his nose and tried not to sound entirely confused.

"Well I left my spare jacket... which I kinda need to wash before my locker smells like sweat... you wouldn't mind getting it for me would you?" he noticed that her words were almost crafted like she was hiding something. But she was rather descriptive with the details to be hiding something so to her delight he abided.

"Okay sure... you have your key?" he seemed like he was now returning to the world of normalcy as he held out a hand.

"Thanks Soul... I'll try to make it up to you." he took the key impatiently almost and darted out of the room without even shooing her out. "Well that was too easy..."

She thought better of it but the temptation was just too much. She had to know what he was thinking. To know what had driven him to stay up countless nights without sleep. To know why it was he displayed a presence that would put Stein on a somewhat normal level on the scale of mental stability. To find out why he seemed to have a writer's quandary.

She plucked a small stack of papers from the desk. Most of the words seemed more like an unabashed series of random thoughts written down for later reference until she made it about midway of the stack where she found what appeared to be a title page. The words written both filled her with intrigue and almost a sense of dread at her partner's choice of novel titles.

_The town that hell calls home._

He seemed to be writing something of a dark nature which only further served to fuel her interests.

She imagined Soul telling the story for more dramatic effect, but the words seemed to come from someone else. "Why am I here..." it was the beginning of the story and already he had someone making dialogue."I got a letter in the mail three days ago... it said I'll be waiting for you in our special place. It was signed; Mary... my wife... but that's impossible. She died a year ago... she couldn't be here... then why do I feel like I should be looking..." it made no sense the story was erratic from the quotations, however the more she read the more she became intrigued.

-Adscript; 'The town that hell calls home'.-

-James Sunderland was the average man. He was a kind caring individual who was devoted to his wife. That was until she died. Taking a rare unknown illness she had left suddenly; her memory still hanging like a prisoner from a noose. So he tried his best to move on. He put his being into work and all the other frivolities that one has to pass the time. He lived day to day with her memory never ceasing to haunt him for almost a year. That's when he received a letter with no return address and ominously signed by a woman of the same name as his recently deceased wife.

This is the story of James Sunderland and his journey to the town that hell calls home.-

She took a moment to stop her sifting to notice a single balled-up piece of paper in the trash can. On the parchment were the words which Soul had read aloud previously without knowing she was spying. He had thrown out part of it. She didn't think he'd even be the type to read much less write critically. That being said, she lifted the paper and scanned over it. For some reason the last phrase on the paper caught her attention.

"A reason to live." she read aloud the phrase several times almost as if trying to solve a riddle. "Do I..." it hadn't occurred to her till now that the only reason she was even still at the academy was to save face. She could easily drop out and apply for work or move on and seek opportunity elsewhere. She could not find her raison d'etre.

She sat down, a mood of depression and anger sifting over her. They balanced each other out creating a smooth numbness within her. And for the longest moment she simply sat and thought. The mind-numbing melancholy took her over for more than its fair share of time. Seconds turned into minutes and slowly into an hour and it was all she could do to retain her ability to sit. Eventually she fell backwards onto the bed to watch the blades on the fan turn. Terrible thoughts had started to creep into her head. All of the cruel things she had said to her father and soul. All the times she'd made fun of BlackStar's and Tsubaki's less-than-professional behaviour. Even the few, very few, times she'd made it a point to insult Crona. They all came pouring back in and her 'conscience' began to make its appearance. _That's right... you did all of that. You remember? 'Cause I do. You made Tsubaki cry. You made your father a drunk. You even made Soul less than mentally stable. All for your own stupid prideful self. They'd be so much better off if you just died y'know. They're so unhappy. And it's all your fault._

_"_I really wish you'd leave me alone right now..." she sighed expressively. "I really don't feel like listening to you." in return to her comment, the disembodied thoughts became more an entity, answering her with something she perceived as more sinister than simply bullying phrases.

"_DONT YOU IGNORE ME!"_the voice became twistedly dark and apparently hostile. "Y_ou may ignore Soul, and your friends and maybe even your better judgement but I will not be ignored... you are mine!"_ it was at this point Maka became afraid. This was more than just her conscience now… Something was very wrong.

"What are you?" she at some point during the voices outrage had removed herself from the bed and now found herself hiding behind the bed and shaking like an elderly patient with cerebral palsy.

"_I am all and I am none."_it laughed at her fear. "_Ah Maka. You don't get it do you... I am you!"_

She gasped as a loud ringing began in her ears. It took a moment but her eyes focused from her moment of panic to see a mirror and its reflection was that of herself but twisted and distorted. A monster - as one would put it.

"Soul... please hurry... I wanna wake up now" she wanted to scream but all she could manage was a cowardly whimper as the room became dark; the only thing now remaining in her vision was the creature in the mirror. "Please Soul... Help me..."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer I disclaim.

Summerizer. Well I think it's time I left the back story to the readers. If you read the last chap you already know maka took a moment to delve into soul's private story time. Tricking him out of the house to read his insane rambling. For those of you who are fans you'll have caught the Easter eggs. If you're not and still wanting to find out what it was pm or review and I'll give it away. Anyway now Maka has gotten wind of the fact that her little conscience is not just the voice in her head that stated watch what happens next.

Ch7 no resonance. Monster inside.

She stood deathly still as the creature in the mirror laughed sadistically. "You can't ignore me like everything else you little coward. You will hear me. You will bend to my desire. You will obey me. You don't have any choice. And no one is going to help you." The thing then walked closer seeming to twitch like a Parkinson's patient as it crept slowly out of the mirror and towards her.

"No... Stay away" she cried feverishly, backing away as it started to close the distance. "I'm warning you..."

In response to her threat the creature let out a demonic laugh. Unfazed apparently by her failed intimidation "What are you going to do? Scream. Soul's gone. And no one can hear you. You're mine Maka and you will obey me."

"Stop. Ghaaa" she choked as the creature wrapped its hands around her throat. " ...please"

"Stop your whining and let me do the world a favor. I'm saving you the trouble of doing it yourself you whiny coward!" with a swift motion it picked her from the floor with one hand and slowly pushed the other into her chest.

"S...Soul..." she gasped for air as the creature began tugging on something within her and it felt as if she were being ripped apart from the inside out.

"My my, such a fighter. Come on be a good little whore and give it up!" with a rough jerk the creature began pulling its hand slowly returning to the outside of her chest appearing to hold to what she thought might have been her soul "That's right. There's no use in fighting, give it to me!"

Her heart was pounding and her lungs burned as though she were inhaling sheer ash but as her vision blurred from the strain the creature's actions put on her she noticed bright pink hair and cold eyes as well as the obsidian glow of an intimidating sword. "Cr...o..na?"

"What?!" The creature looked back to see the demon swordsman as he smirked twistedly "NOOOO!"

A swift swing of ragnarok shattered the mirror. And as quickly as the creature had come out it dissolved into nothing shouting swears of return and death for the young meister as it faded.

"Ahghaaa" Maka coughed as she hit the floor twitching with the pounding of her heart and breathing as though she had been running for hours.

"Maka?!" the pink haired boy ran to her side. "Maka are you okay?" something was different about him.

"Crona?" when she finally reached the point of speaking she was shocked. "Where?"

"I've been tracking that thing for about a week... I thought it would've been elsewhere... Are you hurt?" He sounded older. His voice more masculine than the little kid she had met nearly two years prior. His eyes had developed a hardened look to them and his body had become stronger and to top it off he even took a different style of clothing. A simple jacket and jeans combo she would have previously thought Soul would have put on him himself. She knew she hadn't seen him in a few months but for him to change so drastically baffled her. "It didn't hurt you did it? Maka... say something." He wasn't obviously as shy with her as he had been previously either.

"Crona... you... thank you" she relaxed and sat back on her knees as the boy knelt down to look into her eyes. "You saved me..."

"Where's Soul?" he looked around sheepishly "Did it get him?"

"No... Soul's at school..." she was still breathing heavily "I sent him out to get my things."

"Maka... you don't need to be alone for a while." He watched her closely as if worried she might burst into flames.

She couldn't put her finger on it but for some reason his presence was comforting. He made her feel like she wasn't going crazy though she still had no idea what was actually going on. However now she knew that it wasn't just her and that alone eased her somewhat.

"Crona... what's going on" she sobbed before the boy hugged her.

"It's black blood... I've been getting a strange feeling out of it and Stein sent me out to find it. Though it's been popping up all over the place I tried to tell them that something here was giving off a bad feeling. I thought it was Soul... but I never thought it'd be you." he seemed both relieved and scared at the same time.

"So I'm not going crazy?" she laughed dryly.

"That I don't know..." he dead panned. "The black blood works differently with others. In your case it seems to manifest physical entities. At least for you."

"We have a problem twerp!" Ragnarok made his appearance. Even he had grown, though still not as much as his meister.

"What is it now?" Crona took the insult lightly, standing his ground though obviously irritated.

"The black blood." Crona interrupted.

"I know Maka's got it." and in turn he was stopped.

"That's the problem block head. It's not here!" the tiny demon pelted the meister who retaliated with a swift backhand.

"What do you mean it's not here it just..." again he was cut short.

"I am black blood you idiot. It's not here. The resonance is gone. Even if we defeated it, it would leave a trail of resonance. Wherever it went it's not here anymore." The symbiotic weapon was furious and panicked.

"This isn't good." the pink haired boy sighed "i don't know how to deal with this..."

"Oh don't start that crap again." the weapon clubbed him once more, ensuring a squabble between himself and his partner.

"Guys... HEY!" Maka raised her voice allowing the panic to be heard.

"Huh?" they both turned their head's in surprise.

"Look" she exhaled with relief. "I'm not going to lie... whatever just happened has been going on for a while... but that was terrifying... do you even know what is actually going on or is it just a guess."

"Yes" They responded simultaneously before staring each other down. After a moment of intense staring Crona took the initiative. "About six months ago we started getting a weird feeling. Like the black blood left in the world was reacting to something. The pressure worried me. I can handle this obnoxious moron but not the rest of it. It acts on the minds of those it infects. I followed the larger parts of it across the globe and the biggest signal was here. In this room. I got worried." he looked down shyly. "It's dangerous not only to those around but to the infected themselves."

"It only wants what I want." Ragnarok grinned widely "Its own body. Fortunately I'm not stupid - if I tried to take over this little dweeb again we'd both die. Symbiotic organisms can't take over their hosts without killing the body to do so. I do that I go with him. I figure it's a small price to pay that I put up with his dorkishness... may be a pain but I'm still alive. The rest of the black blood is in small dispersed amounts making it stupid. The less of it the dumber it is. So they would actually be stupid enough to try it. But that's neither here nor there. Specifically not here though. It was here and then it was gone. That's what I'm trying to get this idiot to grasp."

Another backhand from his meister shut the weapon up for the moment. "Maka. From what I've seen I think it's a good bet to say that wherever the black blood is... it's found your body to be a suitable host. Either that or it's attracted to your soul wave length"

"It tried to rip my soul out Crona, I don't think it likes me." she deadpanned.

"What?" he looked shocked.

"You smashed the mirror. Your saw it didn't you?" she started to freak out again.

"No... I smashed the mirror to get your attention and snap you out of the trance. I figured it would wake you up." The innocent look on the boy's face told her that to her dismay she was still somewhat alone.

"You smiled at it though. You looked right at it!" She started to cry "Didn't you?!"

"No..." He displayed an uncomfortable look. "It might just be a side effect... black blood makes one hallucinate."

"That would be if she had it retard." Ragnarok snidely scoffed at the boy who simply ignored him.

"MAKA!?" Soul had returned and was apparently startled as he threw open the door. "CRONA?! What'd you do?"

"Relax soul..." Crona stood. "We need to get Maka to Naigus... I'm not entirely sure what's going on... but I'm pretty sure she has black blood."

"That's crazy... we wiped that stuff out didn't we?" he was unconvinced.

"Obviously not, stupid, I'm still here after all" again Ragnarok crossed his arms as if proving someone wrong only to be glared at by the enraged weapon.

"No one asked you! Just pipe down." Soul shook his head exasperatedly "Okay... I'll bite. But what should we do?"

"The academy... Now!" Crona's eyes took a dark hue as he lowered his head.

She was terrified. Her body still shook from the fear. And to make matters worse she was powerless to fight the entity she now assumed to be inside of her. She wouldn't let Crona see it but she was at this point too afraid to be alone.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaiming now. There. Happy? No suing.

Summarizer. Crona has made his appearance Maka has found out her thoughts are a terrible reality and Soul is at a loss for a plan to fight his partners demons. What will happen? I cannot foretell.

Ch8. Uncertain. "we don't know what we're dealing with."

"if she hasn't got black blood what are you tracking." Soul reiterated his concerns over the last few hours of story time Crona had given him. "it doesn't make sense. The stuffs useless without a host and Naigus said she blatantly doesn't have it in her system. So what are you picking up."

"i dunno." the pink haired boy faltered as he glanced around the room. "what I'm picking up hasn't followed either. Perhaps your building is haunted."

"i doubt that..." Naigus made her appearance "a haunting would not simply end with the shattering of a mirror. Also I've never known any form of residual haunting or poltergeist to ever directly affect ones Soul. From what she said this entity tried to kill her... what did you see Crona?"

"she was just standing there when I started getting a bad feeling. Then" the boy's eyes took a confused look. "well she started smiling. Like that time we were fighting in the underground pass. She looked crazed. I tried to talk to her but she didn't respond. After a few minutes I noticed she was looking at the mirror. So to snap her out of it I smashed it." he lowered his head "I'm at just as much a loss as you are nurse."

"its fine." Naigus patted the boys shoulder. "Soul... has anything other than what you've told me happened to either of you lately? Strange behavior outside of what you've mentioned. Any voices you've heard? I need to know."

"well I've been too worried to sleep. Kina miss my naps. But other than that I'm clear. Maka though. She's... she's been talking to herself... a lot. I caught her screaming at no one the other day and something about being called a sniveling bitch. I know I didn't call her that... but she was messed up over it. And I don't know anyone else who would've said that. Well... and lived." he moved his gaze to his hands. "she's been acting stranger than usual. Quiet almost. Like she's hiding something. Something she doesn't want me to see."

"she's terrified Soul. She doesn't want her partner to think she's a cowered." the bandaged woman pinched the bridge of her nose. "still. This is an odd case indeed. Black blood doesn't show up in any of our tests. But Crona's instincts are rarely wrong about its presence. But an interesting point is that its not in her system or yours and without a host its useless. So I get the feeling what we're dealing with isn't black blood. But apparently Crona can sense it. I suspect your current insomnia might be from you being able to sense it as well."

"so you got any idea what to do about this?" Soul was becoming impatient. "she cant take much more of this doc. And to be honest neither can I." his fatigue showed from his voice.

"well to be honest... no" she was blunt but the look in her eyes told Soul that she had some vague plan of action. "but as far as what to do goes we can always build plans. So I suggest we start with getting her away from her current state of residence. I've asked lord death and Kidd if it would be troublesome for you two to stay at the mansion. Maka doesn't need to be alone and certainly not at your current homestead. Crona may be right about a haunting in the long run. However this isn't a request. You are to stay at her side at all times. She cannot be left alone. She trusts you so this is your duty as her partner. Kidd will assist you with making sure things are done to ensure her safety and comfort. Crona."

"yes miss Naigus?" the boy stood from his seat.

"you and professor Stein will be our field research team." she plucked a clipboard from the table in front of her. "lord death has put all of your other missions on standby until we find out whats going on with Maka. If it is black blood we can ill afford it being this close. The orders are to deal with whatever is after Maka and then you can resume your missions as required. As for anything else for you Soul. You are still to report to Stein any unusual circumstances involving Maka's condition but do yourself a favor and avoid leaking anything to Spirit. He's currently involved with pressing matters dealing with the other deathscythes. You report directly to either Stein or myself on this matter."

"got it" the boys sounded in unison just before Crona left the room.

"doc?" Soul hesitated as he cupped his chin.

"what is it Soul." she marked a few things on her clip board before placing it back to the table.

"you don't think that maybe I'm causing Maka to be this way do you?" he was thoughtful with the phrase.

"not in the least. Why would you say that?" she sounded concerned given the unusual circumstance.

"its just... a lot of the things that are bothering her now... well... I've done my fair share of being an unintentional bully... and... I just..." he was cut off.

"Soul Maka has a lot of problems. But one thing she's always had is your support." she crossed her arms defiantly "she knows that you care and that you would never try to hurt her regardless of the method. She thinks too highly of you to believe any of the possible things you've said to be true. You're her weapon. Though you may not agree on everything you two are bound not only by resonance but by memories to each other. She wouldn't hold that against you trust me."

"i know that... and I'm not worried about that. Its just... I couldn't live it down if I were the guy that caused her to hurt so bad... its just not cool" he tried his best to smirk at the situation.

"words can be just as powerful as action at times. But in the end actions are always more effective. The things you've done for her would tell her that you care. No one puts themselves in the position you have for someone they don't care about." she patted the boys head gently. "now. Maka isn't to be alone. So I told Kidd to give you guys a room with some form of space so she gets a hint of privacy. She may be in danger but she is still a young woman. So if she asks for space give it."

"oh trust me... I've figured out how to hide from the eyes of book worm." he laughed sarcastically.

"fine. Just don't let her get too far out of earshot. We cant risk anything thinking she's alone. We don't know what we're dealing with." she sighed somewhat relieved at Souls attempt at lightening the mood.

"speaking of which where is she now?" he questioned the nurse with earnest concern.

She again sighed more out of exasperation this time however. "she was so worked up I had to sedate her. She'll be asleep for a while. But Sid's keeping an eye on her for now. So you should make it a point to walk around and stretch your legs. Try to come up with something to occupy yourselves for a few days while Crona and Stein investigate. She'll be out for most of the day. So we'll keep her here till she wakes up. Kidd's also worried so you should try and talk to him on this matter a bit. Give him some info on whats going on. His intuition has proven helpful in the past. So he may be able to assist us."

"i know whats goin on is bad but it seems like lord death is taking it pretty personal to give so much assistance. Why is everyone so eager to help?" he sounded curious and cautious which to Naigus seemed more distrustful than anything.

"Maka's a student at the academy. A well liked student. Also we are her teachers and friends. Its our job to make sure she's okay. Plus. She killed Asura. Everyone in death city owes her a debt of gratitude and their lives. To top the cake there's also the black blood which we've been trying to eradicate. Cronas doing a good job at it but lately he's been getting strange feelings from her specifically. In light of the current events, Lord death feels that it is best to watch Maka to see if she's a target for a possible larger threat to the safety of the academy. So it is not just our job but a personal affair. Why so skeptical?" she chuckled at his mislead caution.

"just seems a bit much for one meister." he added to his contemplations. " besides. Its not every day that the academy issues a quarantine for one of their own. Even I know that"

"don't think too hard Soul. Over analysis leads to misinterpretation. I need to see to a few things outside this matter so for now just go talk to Kidd. He needs to know whats going on before we send him an explosive situation." she moved back to the table and collected the clip board. "see either myself or Stein if something comes up"

left to himself with the thoughts in his head he had no choice in the matter but to conduct his own research. He had never wanted to picture the situation as anything more than just over stress, however he felt something was off. This would be a problem if he were left in the dark and he felt the tension brewing, so he decided that it was time he directly involved himself rather than play the middle man. He made the resolution to save his partner himself, not simply rely on the academy to do it for him. His mind made he stood from his seat nodded at the nurse and left to find the young reaper who he assumed was just as much in the dark as himself.


End file.
